Ship propulsion



H. MORTENSEN, Sn. SHIP PROPULSION.

APPLICATION man APR.|9,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

INVENTOR H. MORTENSEN, SR. SHIP PROPULSION.

APPLICATION FILED APR. !9, 1919.

1,365,939. Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HANS MORTENSEN, SR., OF PENROSE, COLORADO.

SHIP PROPULSION.

Application filed April 19,

To all 1w lwm it may concern Be it known that I, HANs MORTENSEN, S12, acitizen of the United States, residing at Penrosc, in the county ofPenrose and State of Colorado, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Ship Propulsion, oil which the following is a specification.

The invention is especially adapted for use on. ships or vesselsemploying the customary type oi screw propeller located at the stern endof the axial propeller shaft. andv by the utilization of the inventionthe power from the prime mover or engine of the ship is transmitted tothe propeller or propellers in such manner as to afford a reduction inthe cost of Fuel because of the decreased quantity'required with theconse quent reduction of bunker space required in the ship. Theinterposition of the machinery of my invention between the prime moverand the propellers also tends to stabilize the propelling machinery andto afford an increased speed in the ship.

In the accompanying drawings one complete example of the physicalembodiment oi"- my invention is illustrated, constructed and arrangedaccording to the best mode I have so far devised for the practicalapplication of the principles of the invention, but it will beunderstood that changes and alterations may be made in the depictedstructure, without departing from the spirit of my invention nor beyondthe scope of the appended claims.

F igure 1 is a side view, showing in a diagrammatic manner aconventional application of the invention to a ship employing a screwpropeller.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing the propeller shaft and its drivinggears, the latter driven from fluid current motors within their casingsshown.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the free end of the propellershaft with its propeller, and showing also the connection between therudder and the jointed terminals of the pair of channels to assist in.steering the ship.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, vertical sectional view on line 4- 1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view at line 5-5 of Fig. 4:.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view showing one of the two impellersdriven from the engine of the ship, and its connections.

In carrying out the invention as illus- Specificatiori of LettersPatent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

1919. Serial No. 291,139.

trated in the drawings, the ship as l is equipped with a pair of tubes2, 3, located at the bottom oi? the ship and parallel with the keel andextending from near the bow of the vessel to the stern. These tubes areof proper size for the work to be performed and provide ways or channelsfor the passage of water, the bow end of the tubes being open for thepurpose, and passage of water therethrough may be controlled andregulated by a gate valve, indicated at 4 in Fig. 1. The water currentsare impelled. through. these tubes, each tube being provided with aspiral conveyer 5, supported on its shaft 6 in the tube by spiders as 7,7, and the cylindrical casings for these impellers are dressed for aclose fit oi the periphery of the impeller, the casing being in dicatedat 8, as interposed between sections of the tubes. The impeller drivenfrom an engine, indicated in conventional form at i) and the train ofgears 10, 11, 12 and 18 transmits power from the engine to the impellerto revolve the latter thus causing the rapid flow of water currentsthrough the tubes or channels, from how to stern, and these motive fluidcurrents are utilized for transmitting power to the propeller orpropellers, indicated at 15 on the end of the propeller shaft 14?.

At a suitable point in the length of the tubes, each tube is providedwith a water motor wheel, as 16, inclosed within the easing 17, whichhasan alined channel 18 forming part of the tubes, and the blades 19radiating from the hub 20 of the wheel which is TGVOlHlJlG with theshaft 21, pass through this channel .18, as indicated in Fig. 4. Theblades are so spaced on radial lines about the wheel that acontinuouspower is applied as the water flows in currents through thechannel, and a steady and regular motion is imparted to the water wheelsand their shafts. The blades are in the form of circular disks that aresomewhat dished or cup shape having the maximum depth at the edge nearerto the wheel shaft, in order that the impact of water thereon may be tothe greatest advantage, as the blade moves about its center.

Preferably a pressure of air is maintained in the wheel casings, and forthis purpose an air pump 22 is attached to each casing, having a portopening in the casing, and the pump may be operated from the boiler ofthe engine through the steam pipe 23.

The air pressure within the casing is provided to maintain the waterline in the easing at a proper height, and to determine the height ofthe water in the casing each casing has a water gage 24 from which thereadings may be ascertained, and the pressure regulated accordingly.

Each shaft 21 is provided with a bevel gear 25, and these gears meshwith gears in boxing 26 on the propeller shaft to transmit motion fromthe two water wheels or motors to the propeller 15 on the shaft 14.

The shaft is suitably journalcd in bearings 27, 28, the bearing 28 atthe stern, being supported from the enlarged sockets 29 formed at therear ends of the tubes, for the reception of a complementary head 30shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and formed at the end of a short tube3].. These short tubes are pivota ly connected to the rudder 32, or itspost 33, by links 34, 3a, in such manner that when the rudder is turned,in steering, the short tubes are turned in their sockets, andconsequently the water at one side of the rudder will flow from the tubeagainst the rudder, while the force of the Water from the opposite tubewill be turned away from the rudder, thus enabling the rudder to operatemore efiiciently in turning the ship.

The tubes may be provided with a suitable number of gate valves similarto that indicated at 4, to be used in case an emergency requires closingof the tubes against flow of water, and of course they will be disposedat predetermined points in the tubes.

The cylindrical casing S for the conveyer 5 or Archimedian screw isbored and dressed on its inner face for close contact with the screw,and it will be understood that the screw may be constituted by using twoor more blades according to the diameter and length of the screws. Thescrew is geared up to a high speed so that, when it revolves, the wateris conveyed through the tubes or channels, at a much greater speed thanthe speed of the vessel.

It Will be noted that the blades of the Water motor in Fig. 4, arespaced to best advantage in order to give most ellieient service, oneblade standing vertically in line with the center axis of the wheel, andthe forward and rear blades respectively being approximately half waythrough the torward and rear half of the cylindrical channo]. of thecasing. A pet cock may be used in the casing to relieve pressure oi airin the interior thereof in order to control the water level, orautomatic means may beemployed in connection with the air pump 'l'oiaccomplishing this purpose.

It will be noted that the screw impeller 5 is made up of four blades,each extending from end to end of the casing, and arranged diametricallywithin the casing or tube, but it will be apparent that two blades maybe used in some im tances, according to the diameter of the tube.

While I have herein described and illustrated the invention as appliedto the propulsion of ships, it will rndily be apparent that theinvention is equally applicable 'l'or use as a stationary motor, andwith slight alterations may be converted to transmit power derived froma moving stream, to a suitable place for consumption.

Claims:

1. The combination with a pair of spaced water current tubes extendinglongitudinally of a vessel and end extensions to the tubes connectedthereto by pivotal heads, oil a rudder located intermediate saidextensions and adjacent the openings therein, pivotal connectionsbetween said rudder and extensions, means for operating the rudder, andsaid extensions adapted to co-act with the rudder in steering a vessel.

2. The combination with the longitmlinally extending, parallel, spacedtubes and means "for expelling water through said tubes, movable endextensions formed with heads engaged in sockets on the ends of saidtubes. a rudder intermediate of and located adjacent the open ends olthe extensions, pivotal links connecting said rudder and extensions,means for operating the rudder, and said extensions adapted to co-actwith the rudder as described.

HANS MORTENSEN, Sr.

